Age estimation and growth pattern of the grouper Cephalopholis taeniops (Epinephelidae) off the Cape Verde Archipelago, north-west Africa

The grouper Cephalopholis taeniops is a carnivorous fish of the Cape Verde coastal marine ecosystem. Nothing is known regarding the age and growth of this epinephelid. In this study, the age and growth of C. taeniops was investigated by annual growth increment counts from 2804 specimens (7–51 cm total length) collected between January 2005 and December 2011. Whole otoliths underestimated the age indicated in sections by approximately 70%; therefore, sectioned otoliths were used in this study. A year’s growth was represented by one opaque and one translucent ring. There was no apparent time lag from the start of the increase in the seawater temperature and the beginning of the formation of the opaque ring. The formation of the translucent rings coincided with a decrease in surface seawater temperature. Cephalopholis taeniops is a slow-growing and long-lived species, with ages of up to 20 years recorded. The seasonalized von Bertalanffy growth function was the best fitted among the four models tested, with an Akaike weight higher than 0.99. Growth was described by the seasonalized von Bertalanffy growth function as follows: L1 ¼ 54.26 cm, k ¼ 0.135 year 21 ,t 0 ¼ 20.853 year, C ¼ 0.439 and ts ¼ 0.667.